Originally Posted by
Toshbaf
Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee yesterday visited Taiwan after visiting the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. She flew aboard an Army UC-35A, which is the Army's version of the Cessna 560 Citation Ultra business jet. What was a plausible route from the US? A Citation flying from the Continental US to Hawaii is pushing it, I believe.
Originally Posted by
jrl767
for anyone who wants to look up Army VIP flights, they’re generally coded “PAT” for “Priority Air Transport”
(speaking from experience in 2003 on a C-35, Langley AFB/LFI to Dulles/IAD)
I don't have a flightradar24 subscription and couldn't find anything on the free part of the website. Looking at the map, my guess is that the plane flew from the West Coast to Hawaii, possibly HNL. Hawaii to Fiji appears to be beyond the range of a Cessna 650 Citation Ultra. Looking at the map, Majuro (Marshall Islands) is a plausible stop. There aren't many places to refuel.
Fiji, possibly Nadi, to Honiara, Solomon Islands to Port Moresby PNG are all possible non-stop segments. PNG to Taipei TSA is too far without a stop. Maybe Palau? The Philippines is also a possible stop but Palau would be a more direct route.
I wonder if the Senator flew commercially from the US to Fiji. That is also plausible and more comfortable than flying a Citation Ultra all the way. The Citation Ultra has a cabin height of 4'10" and cabin width also 4'10". The lavatory is very small.